Report of Announcements Made at the November 22nd Meeting of the UH Board of Regents

The University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents (BOR) held their monthly meeting today at Kauaʻi Community College. The following recommendations were approved:

Relating to Academic Chairs and Degree Programs, the BOR authorized:

· The change of status for the Bachelor of Science Degree in Astronomy from provisional to established status in the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo effective Spring 2003. The degree was proposed in 1992 and implemented in 1997 for the dual purposes of providing training needed for high school graduates from Hawaiʻi to obtain careers in the field and jobs in Mauna Kea observatories, and to take advantage of the astronomy resources of Mauna Kea and the UH Hilo University Park in terms of an undergraduate astronomy program of exceptional excellence and national prominence. Currently, there are 54 students enrolled in the program. It awarded its first two degrees last year and expects to award seven more this year.

· The establishment of a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Performing Arts in the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo effective Spring 2003. This integrated Performing Arts major will take advantage of strong student interest and professional expertise in Drama and Dance, and a music track will replace the former Music major.

· The establishment of the Hawaiʻi Medical Service Association Health Care Services Quality Research Chair at the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. An endowment fund at the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation was established in October 2002 with a gift of $1 million from the Hawaiʻi Medical Service Association for this purpose. The chair will provide leadership in health services research in order to improve the health of the people of the state of Hawaiʻi. The endowment from HMSA is expected to support this chair with $50,000 annually, with any remaining portion of the incumbent‘s salary to come from existing university resources.

· The establishment of the Associate in Applied Science Degree in Opticianry at Leeward Community College effective Fall 2003. Curriculum for the program was developed by the National Federation of Opticianry Schools, an organization of colleges and schools offering opticianry programs to improve the standards of practitioners in the field. Completion of the program prepares individuals for certification exams for both the American Board of Opticianry and the National Contact Lens Examiners. The initiative for establishing the program came from professionals in the community to upgrade the skills of employees in their businesses. This will be the first program in the nation to be delivered exclusively through distance education, as all content courses in the major are delivered through the Internet.

· The planning and developing of selected four-year occupational-technical degree programs to proceed at Honolulu Community College (HCC), Kapiʻolani Community College (KCC), and Maui Community College (MCC). HCC‘s proposed Computer, Electronics, and Networking Technology degree (CENT), KCC‘s proposed Culinary Arts, Science and Management degree, and MCC‘s proposed Applied Business and Information Technology degree will address student interests and community needs in these respective areas. The request and approval by the Board addresses the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges requirement that the decision to pursue the baccalaureate be approved by the Board of Regents, and permits the campuses to formally begin meeting the criteria required by WASC for each to offer a single baccalaureate degree while continuing their respective accreditation as community colleges.

Strategic Plan: UH Mānoa; UH Hilo; UH West Oʻahu; UH Community Colleges: The BOR approved the strategic plans for UH Mānoa, UH Hilo, UH West Oʻahu, and the UH Community Colleges with the understanding that implementation details shall be subject to Board policies and applicable statues and regulations. Board policy calls for the development and approval of strategic plans for each major unit of the university, and plans were developed spanning the time frame 2002-2010. The plans have also been determined to carry out the goals and action strategies of the system strategic plan, and the units have translated the priorities of their plans into biennium budget requests and/or longer-term financial plans.

Relating to the Budget for the 2003-2005 Fiscal Biennium, the BOR approved the following items:

· A budget policy paper that sets forth the environmental context for budget building and general program, policy and management objectives to guide the preparation of the university‘s 2003-2005 biennium budget, as required by Board policy.

· The university‘s operating budget recommendations for the 2003-2005 Fiscal Biennium, which was prepared to be consistent with the university‘s strategic plan. The budget will be finalized in the format prescribed by the Department of Budget and Finance and transmitted to the Governor and the 2003 Legislature for review as the Regents‘ Biennium Budget Request. The university will be requesting a total of $99.3 million in general funds program change requests in the first year of the biennium and $116.7 million in the second to fund priorities such as research infrastructure initiatives at UH Mānoa; support for the revitalization of Hawaiian and indigenous language and cultures at UH Hilo; faculty and computer technology positions at UH West Oʻahu; and four-year programs at the UH Community Colleges.

· The University of Hawaiʻi‘s Capital Improvements Program (CIP) Budget for Fiscal Biennium 2003-2005. The CIP Biennium Budget meets the goals and objectives of the UH system strategic plan by maintaining and improving campus structures to promote a nurturing learning and working environment. It reflects the academic priorities of the university system and is comprised of 26 projects totaling $657.5 million, of which $647.5 million is from state general obligation bonds. The university received significant support from the 2001 and 2002 Legislatures in the form of appropriations for various projects. Of the 26 projects included in the CIP Biennium Budget, 23 have prior appropriations or have been included in prior Board of Regents budgets but were left unfunded.

Reorganization of the Office of the Vice President for External Affairs & University Relations: The BOR approved the proposed reorganization of the Office of the Vice President for External Affairs & University Relations (OVPEAUR). The reorganization eliminates the Community and Alumni Relations unit, renames the Public Relations and Special Events unit to Public Relations, and creates a Marketing and Branding unit. The reorganization reflects the expanding responsibilities of OVPEAUR and the accommodation of these new responsibilities within a more appropriately structured organization. Also, with the reorganization, administration of the system-wide alumni relations program will become the responsibility of the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation, providing consistency and efficiency in funding alumni programs by uniting the alumni affairs program with the university‘s development, advancement and fundraising agency.

NOTE: An agenda item relating to the proposed reorganization of the University of Hawaiʻi system-wide administration was deferred and will be considered at a special meeting of the Board of Regents on December 12.